Chapman’s women’s volleyball team has had an overall solid start to their season. As of Sept. 13, they have five wins and four losses, but have been competitive across the board.

So far, they have attended three invitational tournaments: the Pacific Coast Classic, Whittier College Invitational and are currently at the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational. The team won all three games at Pacific and went 2-2 last weekend at Whittier, but have started off this weekend with two tough losses to Whitworth University and University of California, Santa Cruz.

Each tournament, whether the results were good or bad, has helped the team navigate their strengths and weaknesses. Outside hitter, junior public relations and advertising major Brooke Leslie, said the Pacific tournament was great for the team to hone in on what works consistently best for them.

“It was a tournament for us to try new things and we came out very strong, and it was a great start for us,” she said. “We were very consistent with our play and didn’t have many ups and downs, which made it easier for us to come up with three wins.”

However, the Whittier tournament challenged the team with long, tiring, back-to-back games.

“Our main challenge from the Whittier tournament was facing adversity when we were tired because we had a five-set match after falling short in the match earlier that day,” Leslie said. “We had many ups and downs and when you’re exhausted, it is very difficult to play steady and consistent each set.”

Despite the result of the Whittier games, head coach Mary Cahill believes in the team’s performance and potential.

“We went 2-2, but we competed in every set and very easily could have been 3-1,” she said.

The current competition at the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational tournament this weekend is the last before the team enters the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) regular season.

Chapman faces off with Cal Lutheran for their first conference match two weeks after this tournament. Cahill and the team are using this as a chance to look for spots of improvement.

“We are just trying to get better each day,” Cahill said. “Improve on blocking, limit unforced errors and keep passing and siding out. This tournament will give us another chance to see where we need to improve before conference play starts.”

Leslie established a powerful tone for the team going into the Cal Lu Fornia tournament, which she discussed with The Panther prior to playing this weekend.

“It is very important that we come out strong (in) this tournament before our first SCIAC game because the best thing for us is to stay confident in our talent and not get in our heads,” she said. “A great outcome from this tournament will also set a good tone for our season.” 

Coming into this season Chapman was ranked sixth in SCIAC; however, Leslie says the team is using this as motivation.

“(The ranking) does not represent the talent and depth of our team,” she said. “Teams may underestimate us going into the season and we have to stay humbled trying to make our way up through the rankings.”

Cahill’s mindset reinforces this same energy.

“The preseason ranking is usually based a lot on last season,” Cahill said. “I think we are a better team than we were in 2023, so I am excited to see how the conference goes. Our goal is to make the conference tournament at the end of the season. The top five teams in the conference make that tournament.”

Chapman’s volleyball team has shown determination and resilience, which suggests a promising trajectory for their season. Cahill and the players want to continue asserting their dominance and won’t stop grinding until they exceed expectations and showcase the team's potential. They have a clear goal of reaching the conference tournament and are ready to make an impact this season.